PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers are unsure if Markelle Fultz will play again this season.The 20-year-old Fultz was diagnosed this month with thoracic outlet syndrome and is doing physical therapy in Los Angeles. General manager Elton Brand said Saturday prior to a game against Toronto he has no timetable for Fultz's return to basketball activities.Brand said it was "to be determined" if Fultz will play again this season."I can't say right now," Brand said.The GM expects to update Fultz's situation in "a few weeks."Fultz was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft, but his young career has been sidetracked by injuries and ineffectiveness. He averaged 8.2 points through 19 games but was shut down by his agent shortly after Jimmy Butler arrived via trade from Minnesota and Fultz lost his spot in the starting lineup.Fultz's shooting form, particularly from the free-throw line, has been scrutinized. The 76ers said earlier this month that specialists have identified a compression or irritation in the area between the lower neck and upper chest. Physical therapy was recommended for Fultz before returning to play.Fultz played just 14 games last season because of a shoulder injury that appeared to affect his shooting mechanics.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DETROIT (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers are resting center Joel Embiid for their game at Detroit.It's the first game all season that Embiid is missing. Coach Brett Brown says he thinks it's the right move for the long run.Embiid was drafted in 2014 but has only played 120 NBA games because of injury problems. He shot 5 of 17 from the field in a loss at Toronto on Wednesday night.The 76ers are also without Markelle Fultz (thoracic outlet syndrome), Justin Patton (right foot surgery) and Zhaire Smith (left foot fracture).Detroit is missing Reggie Bullock (left ankle sprain) and Ish Smith (right adductor tear), and Stanley Johnson (sore left knee) was a late scratch Friday.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers guard Markelle Fultz is out indefinitely with thoracic outlet syndrome.Fultz visited with several specialists to figure out what's ailing him. The Sixers said the specialists have identified a compression or irritation in the area between the lower neck and upper chest. Physical therapy was recommended for Fultz before returning to play.Fultz's representatives informed the Sixers last month that the guard would be shut down until he had been examined by specialists.Fultz was the No. 1 pick of the 2017 draft. He played just 14 games last season because of a shoulder injury that appeared to affect his shooting mechanics and made him one of the more scrutinized players in the NBA. Fultz lost his starting spot in the rotation when the Sixers traded for Jimmy Butler. The 20-year-old Fultz is averaging 8.2 points, 3.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds and is shooting 42 percent from the field.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Markelle Fultz won't play for the Philadelphia 76ers until his troublesome right shoulder is examined by a specialist on Monday.Fultz, the No. 1 pick of the 2017 draft, added another curious chapter to an injury-plagued career when his representatives informed the Sixers on Tuesday that the guard would be examined next week.Fultz played just 14 games last season because of a shoulder injury that seems to have affected his shooting mechanics and made him one of the more scrutinized players in the NBA. Fultz lost his starting spot in the rotation when the Sixers traded for Jimmy Butler.He seemed to lose his backup point spot when coach Brett Brown gave TJ McConnell the bulk of the minutes in a win over Phoenix on Monday."This news about his shoulder, it did catch me off guard," coach Brett Brown said. "If it's that real, and he needs to go see a further sort of consultation, then we support him."Sixers general manager Elton Brand said Fultz's agent Raymond Brothers told... [More]

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) — Jimmy Butler listens to country music, enjoys playing cards and drives a minivan.Oh, the four-time All-Star forward loves to win.Butler was greeted by more than 250 employees of the Philadelphia 76ers at his introductory news conference at the team's practice facility Tuesday. He made it clear winning a championship is his main priority."I already got enough money to have me and my family set for the rest of my life. It's not about the money," said Butler, who can opt out of his contract and become a free agent at the end of the season. "I have to love where I'm at and have a great chance to win a championship."The Sixers believe adding Butler to a roster that includes Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons will allow them to compete for an NBA title. They won 52 games last season and advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals after going 75-253 combined the previous four years.Robert Covington, Dario Saric and Jerryd Bayless were traded to Minnesota along with a 2022 second-round... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Jimmy Butler is in Philadelphia, and upon his arrival he immediately began talking about winning a championship."The Process" has a whole new meaning.Butler, a four-time All-Star forward, is now officially a member of the 76ers, after they and the Minnesota Timberwolves received approval from the league office Monday on the terms of the trade that was agreed to over the weekend.The deal gives Philadelphia a legitimate "Big Three," with Butler joining All-Star forward Joel Embiid and reigning rookie of the year Ben Simmons on a team that already was expected to be a major Eastern Conference contender this season. Butler flew into Philadelphia on Monday and told NBC Sports Philadelphia that fans should expect "a guy who wants to win.""We want a championship," Butler said as he signed a couple of autographs before he was driven away from the airport. "And I think the core group of guys that we have will figure out a way to get it done."Butler and Justin Patton were traded to Philadelphia... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — All-Star forward Jimmy Butler is now a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, after they and the Minnesota Timberwolves received approval from the league office Monday on the terms of the trade that was agreed to over the weekend.Butler and Justin Patton were traded for Philadelphia, in exchange for Robert Covington, Dario Saric and Jerryd Bayless along with a 2022 second-round draft pick.Butler will be introduced by the 76ers on Tuesday and is expected to debut with his new club Wednesday at Orlando. Philadelphia is playing at Miami on Monday.The deal gives Philadelphia a legitimate "Big Three" with Butler joining All-Star forward Joel Embiid and reigning rookie of the year Ben Simmons on a team that already was expected to be a major Eastern Conference contender this season."We have a championship window that's centered around the continued progression of our talented young core, as well as our ability to add elite players who elevate our program," 76ers general manager Elton... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Brett Brown made the bold decree that the Philadelphia 76ers would be "star hunting " this summer.Hope the Sixers coach made some nice trips to the local observatory.The only stars the Sixers saw this summer were the ones that passed them by on the way to joining other teams. LeBron James' camp gave the ownership group a cursory meeting on the same day he agreed to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers. No other major free agents showed a glimmer of interest in joining a franchise trending from history-making losers toward Eastern Conference contenders in just a few seasons.In social media terms, the 76ers were blocked and muted. They even unfriended their own general manager.Bryan Colangelo split from the Sixers as GM after, of all things, a Twitter scandal that found him guilty of sharing insider information with his wife, who used those details to criticize the Sixers and rival colleagues.It was a stunning fall for Colangelo, a former two-time executive of the year who... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Charles Barkley is being honored in Philadelphia with a media award.Barkley received the Lew Klein Excellence in the Media Award at Temple University on Friday.The basketball Hall of Famer and commentator on TNT's "Inside the NBA" told the room full of journalists to "be mad, be frustrated, but don't stop doing your job and telling the truth."He said he was going to mind the "three B's" in his speech: "be brief, brother." And he did, keeping his remarks under 10 minutes.He told the Philadelphia Inquirer he thinks his former 76ers have a good team, but how well No. 1 NBA draft pick Markelle Fultz plays will determine their success.He says Fultz is "the key."

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) — Ben Simmons is set to turn the 76ers into must-see TV.But he hopes to have another smash hit off the court. NBC has given a script commitment to "Brotherly Love," loosely based on the life of the Aussie-born NBA rookie of the year.Deadline described the pitch like this:"Brotherly Love is inspired by the life of Ben Simmons and centers on a unique sibling relationship within a multi-ethnic family. Together, they pursue their dreams while navigating life in the spotlight in Philadelphia, a passionate city where sports is in your blood, and your blood is always boiling."Don't touch that dial — well, unless the 76ers are on."It's just funny because a lot of people probably pitch their lives and think everything should be a TV show," Simmons said Friday. "We brought it to life. (My brother) wrote something up, pitched it to a few different people. NBC loved it and went with it. It's really going to be about our relationship and how things just happen. It's more of a comedy-sitcom... [More]

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) — Only two years out of the NBA, Elton Brand is set to return to the league as a 39-year-old general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers.For a franchise that underwent the painful "Process" for a few seasons and had its last GM caught up in a Twitter scandal, a youth movement in the front office could be what the Sixers need to take the next step into Eastern Conference contention.Brand is ready to help lead the way."I'm going to rely on my team," Brand said. "Not just on the court, but the off-the-court team. I can't keep saying it enough. In my opinion, we are one of the top groups in the NBA."Brand was introduced Thursday at the Sixers complex as the new GM, and it was made clear the two-time All-Star will not yield the power to make the final decisions, but rather work in concert with coach Brett Brown and the rest of the front office."The 76ers are on the cusp of something very special and the next 12 months are really important," Brand said. "I think that's why I was... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz are expected this season to join Philadelphia's Big Three.No, not as franchise cornerstones — the No. 1 draft picks were already part of that trio with All-Star center Joel Embiid.But as long-distance shooters, Simmons and Fultz went 0 for the season on 3s; Simmons, the NBA rookie of the year, missed all 11 attempts and Fultz went 0 for 1 from 3-point range.Sixers coach Brett Brown said both players have put in the work needed on their jumpers, though neither player will ever become defined by his work beyond the arc. Brown said Fultz took about 150,000 shots this summer under the tutelage of trainer Drew Hanlen. Simmons has worked with his brother, Liam, a former college basketball assistant coach, at 3s and shooting from the elbow.Simmons attempted just one 3 in the postseason and he'll have to establish some sort of long-range jumper to become a serious all-around threat in the NBA."His jump shot's not going to define him," Brown said... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz are expected this season to join Philadelphia's Big Three.No, not as franchise cornerstones — the No. 1 draft picks were already part of that trio with All-Star center Joel Embiid.But as long-distance shooters, Simmons and Fultz went 0 for the season on 3s; Simmons, the NBA rookie of the year, missed all 11 attempts and Fultz went 0 for 1 from 3-point range.Sixers coach Brett Brown said both players have put in the work needed on their jumpers, though neither player will ever become defined by his work beyond the arc. Brown said Fultz took about 150,000 shots this summer under the tutelage of trainer Drew Hanlen. Simmons has worked with his brother, Liam, a former college basketball assistant coach, at 3s and shooting from the elbow.Simmons attempted just one 3 in the postseason and he'll have to establish some sort of long-range jumper to become a serious all-around threat in the NBA."His jump shot's not going to define him," Brown said... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown had an A-list comparison for 1-B first-round pick Zhaire Smith: Disgruntled San Antonio forward Kawhi Leonard."I think that when you look at just where I believe Zhaire can be, there are some common denominators that Kawhi had when we first brought him to San Antonio," Brown said.High praise for the Texas Tech guard.But why settle for a rookie who may never develop into a franchise player when the Sixers can try and aquire the real deal?The 76ers are open for business this summer and an organization that has long preached patience is now in the market for marquee talent to team with blossoming stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons."We are star hunting or star developing," Brown said Friday. "You're not going to win a championship any other way."Brown hit on the "star hunter" phrase at Thursday's draft and again when he introduced Smith, acquired from Phoenix in a swap of first-rounders, and Wichita State guard Landry Shamet at the team's... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bryan Colangelo resigned Thursday as president of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers in the wake of what an investigation found was "careless and in some instances reckless" sharing of sensitive team information.The independent review by a law firm did not determine that Colangelo operated or was even aware of Twitter accounts that anonymously trashed some of his own players and fellow executives, and defended him against criticism from fans and the sports media.Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP said evidence supported the conclusion that Colangelo's wife, Barbara Bottini, operated the four accounts it investigated, and she admitted to doing so — though also said she deleted contents of her iPhone with a factory reset of the device prior to surrendering it for forensic review, limiting the investigation.As for Colangelo, there was no evidence he knew of the accounts before a May 22 inquiry from the sports website The Ringer for a story it... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bryan Colangelo resigned Thursday as president of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers in the wake of what an investigation found was "careless and in some instances reckless" share of sensitive team information.The independent review by a law firm did not determine that Colangelo operated or was even aware of Twitter accounts that anonymously trashed some of his own players and fellow executives, and defended him against criticism from fans and the sports media.Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP said evidence supported the conclusion that Colangelo's wife, Barbara Bottini, operated the four accounts it investigated, and she admitted to doing so — though also said she deleted contents of her iPhone with a factory reset of the device prior to surrendering it for forensic review, limiting the investigation.As for Colangelo, there was no evidence he knew of the accounts before a May 22 inquiry from the sports website The Ringer for a story it reported... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers say Bryan Colangelo has resigned as president of basketball operations after an independent firm investigated allegations that he used a variety of Twitter accounts to anonymously trash some of his own players and fellow executives and defend himself against criticism from fans and the sports media.The team says Thursday that Colangelo offered his resignation "recognizing the detrimental impact this matter on the organization."The 76ers added in the announcement that coach Brett Brown would oversee basketball operations on an interim basis and the search for a new general manager would begin immediately.The move came shortly after the sports website The Ringer reported about five Twitter accounts that took aim at Philadelphia players Joel Embiid and Markelle Fultz, former Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie, Toronto Raptors executive Masai Ujiri and former Sixers players Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel.Colangelo acknowledged using one of the accounts to monitor the NBA industry and other current events but said he wasn't familiar with the four others.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers are investigating whether team president Bryan Colangelo used a variety of Twitter accounts to anonymously trash some of his own players and fellow executives and defend himself against criticism from fans and the sports media.The allegations, reported Tuesday by the sports website The Ringer , raised questions about Colangelo's future and that of the NBA team itself, a rising franchise heading into perhaps its most important summer ever as it tries to attract free agents to contend for championships.The five Twitter accounts under suspicion took aim at Philadelphia players Joel Embiid and Markelle Fultz, former Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie, Toronto Raptors executive Masai Ujiri and former Sixers players Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel, according to The Ringer.Among other things, the user or users of the accounts complained that Embiid, the 24-year-old All-Star center, was "playing like a toddler having tantrums" and was "a bit lazy," ''selfish"... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers are investigating whether team president Bryan Colangelo used a variety of Twitter accounts to anonymously trash some of his own players and fellow executives and defend himself against criticism from fans and the sports media.The allegations, reported Tuesday by the sports website The Ringer , raised questions about Colangelo's future and that of the NBA team itself, a rising franchise heading into perhaps its most important summer ever as it tries to attract free agents to contend for championships.The five Twitter accounts under suspicion took aim at Philadelphia players Joel Embiid and Markelle Fultz, former Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie, Toronto Raptors executive Masai Ujiri and former Sixers players Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel, according to The Ringer.Among other things, the user or users of the accounts complained that Embiid, the 24-year-old All-Star center, was "playing like a toddler having tantrums" and was "a bit lazy," ''selfish"... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers are investigating whether team president Bryan Colangelo used Twitter accounts to anonymously trash some of his own players and fellow executives and to defend himself against criticism from fans and the sports media.The five accounts took aim at Philadelphia players Joel Embiid and Markelle Fultz, former Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie, Toronto Raptors executive Masai Ujiri and former Sixers players Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel, according to a report by The Ringer website.Colangelo acknowledged using one of the accounts to monitor the NBA industry and other current events, but said he wasn't familiar with the other four and didn't know who was behind them."The allegations are serious and we have commenced an independent investigation into the matter," the Sixers said Wednesday in a statement. "We will report the results of that investigation as soon as it is concluded."Embiid, the 24-year-old All-Star center, tweeted that he didn't believe... [More]